Posted by Michael Wonder on 03 May 2020
'New Zealand doesn't have help juice' - PHARMAC's decision leaves family stuck abroad
3 May 2020 - Kristie Yeoman says returning home would likely mean death for her daughter.
Her three-year-old, Charlotte Bond, has spinal muscular atrophy type 2, a genetic disease that causes a loss of motor neurons which affects the muscles and eventually her organs.
The only treatment is Spinraza, a drug that costs US$750,000 for the first year followed by US$375,000 every year after.
But the Pukekohe family have found hope across the ditch. In Australia, Spinraza is available for those under 18, and in July last year, Charlotte began treatment at Queensland Children's Hospital.
